Is This Love?
by Khaos Psyche
Summary: Bella, owner of a local record store, is having relationship issues. Can her long-time friend, Edward, be just what she needs right now? AH ExB


**New one-shot for everybody! Yes, it is only a one-shot, I will not be extending it unless it get lots of positive feedback. Here we go!**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the characters and the respective owners of the songs mentioned below own, well, the songs. I make no profit from anything here.**

**BPOV**

"That piece of shit. How dare he go and do that shit in my place? God, I just want to fucking strangle him sometimes," I raved to myself, trying to unlock the door of the store at the same time. "Fuck, stupid keys…"

"Want some help there Bella?" Edward, my employee and friend said as he reached down to get the keys I dropped. He must've seen the look on my face because he took a step back, hands up in surrender. "Whoa, chill there Killer. I was just trying to help you with your keys." I immediately felt bad for taking my anger out on him.

"I'm sorry Edward, it's been a long day already."

"It's only 9 in the morning."

"Which is one of the reasons why I don't seem so nice and fun today. Thanks for the keys by the way. Come on, let's go open up." We walked inside after I unlocked the door. Edward turned on the lights as I took my bags and his jacket to the back. He pulled the string on the neon open sign and began straightening all of the records, CDs, and cassettes. I had to do some paperwork so I hollered down to him to tell him that I was busy for a while.

I pulled my glasses off and rubbed my face a few hours later. Holy shit, I've been sitting here for 3 hours already? Damn, time flies.

"How is everything Edward?"

"Pretty good. We've gotten a few customers today, but just the occasional kid skipping school." He started looking for something behind the counter as I stepped off the final step, stumbling a bit because my foot was asleep from sitting so long. "Any requests Bella?"

"Sure, Bon Jovi. _You Give Love A Bad name_."

"Sure thing." The next thing I hear is Bon Jovi playing through the speakers that run throughout the building.

**Shot through the heart and you're to blame**

**Darlin' you give love a bad name.**

**An angel's smile is what you sell**

**You promise me heaven then put me through hell**

**Chains of love got a hold on me**

**When passion's a prison you can't break free**

**Oh! You're a loaded gun, yeah**

**Oh! There's nowhere to run**

**No one can save me**

**The damage is done**

"I've got a few more things to finish up so I'll be upstairs if you need me," I said as a bunch of teenagers opened the door.

"Alright Bella. I'll be up later when this lot leaves," he replied, gesturing to the new customers.

I had almost fell asleep on the couch when I heard something, or someone, at the door.

"Knock, knock"

"Who's there?" I said as a smile graced my face for the first time today.

"Can I talk to you Bella? It's personal so you don't have to if you don't want to."

"Yeah, come on in." He took a seat on the sofa, his feet on the table in front of him and a cup of coffee in each hand. He graciously handed me one of said cups.

"2 sugars, just how you like it."

I looked up from my coffee and smiled at him. "You know, sometimes it's like you can read my mind.

"No," he laughed. "I just know you Bella. Hell I've worked for you long enough and we've been friends longer than that. Speaking of which, as a friend, I am concerned about you. Bon Jovi? You only have me play that when Jacob has done or said something."

"I knew it was gonna come to this." I took a sip, mentally preparing myself to tell him. "Jacob came home late, _again._ This time he had some little blonde bimbo clinging his arm."

**Flashback**

The sound of laughter woke me up; the really high pitch laughter that everybody hates and you can tell is forced. I rubbed my eyes, and called out, "Jake? Honey, is that you?" I got out of bed, put my robe on over my pyjamas, and opened the door. I never expected what I saw next.

Jacob had a little bottle-blonde bitch bent over the couch, his hands making his way up her _very_ short skirt. "JACOB WILLIAM BLACK! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HOME SO LATE AND WHO IS THIS LITTLE WHORE?" I screamed, not tired anymore. I could tell he was wasted; his blood-shot eyes and alcohol-coated breathe giving it away.

"Bellsie! Oh, I d-didn't know you w-would be home sooooooo late. You're pretty when you wake up, d'you know that?"

I looked at him, then back to the now seemingly-sober blonde standing in my living room, then back to him. "Get your ass in the bathroom before you puke up everything you've had to drink tonight." I pointed at his…lady-friend. "You get to sleep on the couch until morning. When he wakes up in a few hours you get to make him coffee and tell him what all happened because I sure as hell won't be here." With that, I turned to go back into my bedroom and started packing my stuff.

**End Flashback**

"And that is why I'm kind of pissed this morning. Not only was I woken up extremely early, but I had to deal with both their asses." I took a sip from the now cold coffee and snuggled back into Edward's side where I had moved when I started telling my story.

Edward stood up and grabbed a few tissues from the box on my desk. He walked back to the couch and knelt down in front of me.

"Bella," he started to say, wiping my face of tears that I hadn't realized were falling. "I don't know why I ever introduced him to you. I guess I thought he was good for you, that he would treat you right and how you deserve to be treated. I apologize that I have caused these hardships the past few months. I just didn't think…"

"Edward, look at me. Him being asshole has nothing to do with you. You didn't know that he would turn out like he did when you introduced us. You couldn't possibly have known that he would turn to alcohol when he lost his job and his dad passed. None of the bad things happened until then, after you knew him. None of this is your fault. Don't you dare blame yourself for anything."

He looked into my eyes, the dark-emerald green meeting my chocolate brown eyes, and I could tell that he was thinking. "What? Were you going to degrade yourself some more or say something along the lines of 'he-isn't-good-enough-for-you?'"

"You know Bella? Sometimes it's like you can read my mind," he said, smiling his crooked smile. Alone, our faces only inches from each other's, I realized that his crooked smile was kind of adorable. I loved the way his eyes seemed to look into my soul, the way his copper-y hair fell into his eyes, the little crinkles by his eyes when he smiled.

"You're kind of handsome, if you didn't already know that." He laughed, taking one of my hands in his. His other hand went to run his fingers through my hair, like he'd done for years.

"And you're really beautiful, if you didn't' already know that." He paused, looking like he was trying to decide something. "Bella?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think that I could kiss you?" I was stunned. Edward, the boy that I had known since we were children, the boy that I had grown up with and would beat up anybody who tried to hurt me, the man who had stuck with me for years, the man I thought would never love me back?

"You don't know how long I've waited for you to say that," I said as I leaned in towards him. Our lips touched and that little surge of electricity that I always felt when touching him intensified. I gasped and he slid his tongue over my bottom lip, asking if it was alright to go further. I eagerly obliged him, my tongue meeting his halfway. As our tongues battled for dominance over one another, our hands began to roam each other's bodies. Mine went to his muscled chest and his wrapped around my waist to pull me closer to him.

Breathing soon became necessary and we parted rather reluctantly. We were both breathing rather hard, our chests rising and falling in unison.

"God Bella. You don't know how long I have waited to do that."

I smiled, "I'm glad you finally said something then."

"We should do this more often."

"I totally agree."

We lay there, on the couch, just listening _Is This Love _by Whitesnake playing through the store. I was almost asleep when I heard Edward whisper 'I love you Bella' as he kissed my head. I didn't have any time to think about it as I drifted off to sleep in the arms of my best friend.

**Well there it is folks. If there are any typos just ignore them as I have no beta and I wouldn't be able to find the typos anyway. Please review.**

**Bree**


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